1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to staircases and, more particularly, to a staircase made of premeasured components for partial or complete assembly thereof in the plant or, in the form of a kit, for assembly on site.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Typically, staircases are completely produced on site with the various wood components being cut to size as the staircase is progressively erected on site. Furthermore, the finishing of a staircase is often damaged during construction, namely the carpeting which covers the steps or the solid wood finishing thereof. It is virtually impossible to defer the installation of the finishing covering of the steps of the staircase until the end of the construction thereby resulting in damages to this finishing during the final stages of the construction.
Also, it has been proposed to completely assemble a staircase in the factory such that a pre-assembled staircase is delivered to the construction site for direct and easy installation thereat. Such a modular staircase is disclosed in the present inventor""s co-pending Canadian Application No. 2,149,981 which was laid-open for public inspection on Nov. 24, 1995. In such a case, a modular staircase without its finishing covering is delivered on site and installed thereat. Once the finishing covering, e.g. carpeting, solid wood, etc. has been installed on the staircase, it might again be subject to damage before the construction process is completely finished.
It is therefore an aim of the present invention to provide a novel staircase made of individual components manufactured to size in plant which, in the form of a kit, can be assembled together and installed on site or which can be mostly assembled together in plant and then installed on site.
It is also an aim of the present invention to provide a staircase having temporary steps for use during construction, which are then replaced by permanent steps.
Therefore, an accordance with the present invention, there is provided a staircase system, comprising at least two stringer means and at least first temporary and second finished sets of step means, each step means including at least tread means, said stringer means being adapted for supporting said step means and being detachably attached thereto, wherein during construction said first set of step means are temporarily attached to said stringer means, whereas at the end of construction said first set of step means are replaced by said second set of step means which are secured to said stringer means.
Also in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a modular framework for a staircase, comprising at least two non-wooden stringers and a series of non-wooden step supports adapted to be mounted to the stringers for supporting a number of steps when the stringers are installed in a dwelling, wherein said step supports are installed to said stringers at predetermined locations there along such that the steps can be directly mounted to said step supports and into proper position thereof for the staircase.
Further in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a kit for erecting a staircase in a dwelling, comprising at least two stringers, a series of step supports adapted to be mounted to the stringers, and at least a first set of steps adapted to be mounted to said step supports when said stringers and said step supports are installed in a dwelling, wherein said step supports are installed to said stringers at predetermined locations there along such that the steps can be directly mounted to said step supports and into proper position thereof for the staircase.
Still further in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a method of erecting a staircase in a dwelling, comprising the steps of:
a) providing at least two stringers and first temporary and second finished sets of steps;
b) installing said stringers to a framework of the dwelling;
c) mounting the temporary set of steps to the stringers;
d) removing the temporary set of steps from the stringers at the end of a construction process; and
e) mounting the finished set of steps to the stringers.